The number of health professionals issuing medical cannabis authorizations in the United States has grown approximately 16 percent since 2020, according to data published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Michigan reviewed publicly available data regarding the amount of clinicians and patients involved in state-level medical cannabis access programs.
They reported that just under 36,000 health practitioners had issued recommendations to approximately 3.9 million patients. Since some jurisdictions, including California, do not make their data publicly available, both figures undercount actual totals. Clinicians were most likely to recommend cannabis to patients with chronic pain.
Separate data compiled by the US Center for Centers for Disease Control has previously reported that 69 percent of US clinicians believe that cannabis possesses medical utility and that over 25 percent of physicians have recommended medical cannabis treatment to their patients.
Commenting on the findings, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “The use and efficacy of medical cannabis is becoming widely accepted among healthcare professionals and their patients. As more physicians, nurses, and others integrate medical cannabis into their clinical practices, it is vital that their requisite medical associations, institutions, and educational curricula similarly incorporate and embrace cannabis as a mainstream and established therapeutic option for patients.”
Full text of the studies, “US authorizing clinicians and medical cannabis caregivers: 2020-2024,” and “Trends in US medical cannabis registrations and reasons for use, 2016-2024,” appear in Annals of Internal Medicine. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Health Clinicians’ Attitudes Toward Cannabis.’